


Louie's Four (So's Huey and Dewey)!

by agentz123



Series: Ducktober 2020 [4]
Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Bad Luck, Birthdays, DT87 Reference, Dad! Donald, Ducktober (Disney), Ducktober 2020 (Disney), Family, Fluff, Gen, I legit thought that was going to be about a birthday, Learning Disabilities, Nostalgia, Small Reference to "The House of the Lucky Gander!", The Duck Family Needs to TALK, Title Based on S3's "Louie's Eleven!", Video Game, finances, good luck, light light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:26:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26940619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentz123/pseuds/agentz123
Summary: While preparing for the triplets' fourth birthday, Donald gets an unexpected visitor.Ducktober 2020, Day 8 - Video Games
Relationships: Donald Duck & Della Duck, Donald Duck & Gladstone Gander, Donald Duck & Huey Duck & Dewey Duck & Louie Duck, Gladstone Gander & Della Duck, Gladstone Gander & Huey Duck & Dewey Duck & Louie Duck
Series: Ducktober 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956628
Comments: 8
Kudos: 85





	1. Chapter 1

Donald stopped his stirring when the phone rang. He immediately abandoned his mixing bowl to answer the phone. He didn’t want the boys waking up before the surprise was ready…

“Ah, D-Money! What’s happening?” 

Ugh. Gladstone. Why the heck was this palooka call -- wait. Gladstone didn’t actually remember the triplets’ birthday, did he? “Gladstone! Um, hi. The boys are still asleep, actually -- ” 

“Nah, I was calling for you! For some reason, I was walking along the pier and I ended up finding this old console! It looked like the one you and Della used to play on, and I was like, “‘huh, D-Squared and I haven’t hung out in a while. Why not?’”

It took Donald a moment to recover. He hadn’t heard an utterance of her name in four years. “Don? You still there?” 

Donald cleared his throat, but Gladstone could still hear the tears over the receiver. “I can’t today, Gladstone. Today is a really special day for the boys, and -- oh no! Their breakfast!” 

Smoke started to billow from his mixing bowl. When did he even turn on the stove? Donald abandoned the phone and automatically bent over to reach into the cabinet for his spare fire extinguisher, but suddenly the stench was gone. Donald slowly returned to his full height, and found Gladstone lazily leaning over the windowsill, dipping his finger in the batter before Donald could snatch the bowl away. “I told you I was on the pier. So what’s on the schedule for today?” 

The mix came out unscathed. Maybe Gladstone _could_ be useful for once…

“Well, if you come help me in the kitchen, I could have breakfast done faster…” 

“Oh! Can you add in blueberries? I love those things.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are small references to my works "The Clock's Clutches" and "Reaching New Heights" in this chapter. You don't have to read them to understand what's going on here, but I think they add a little angsty spice to the story. Check them out if you get a chance!

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happybirthdayHuey, happybirthdayDewey, happybirthdayLouie!” Donald took in a large breath before ending the song and setting down a small stack of pancakes in the middle of the table, in front of his beautiful nephews. “Happy birthday to you!” 

“Yay, pancakes!”  
“Thanks Uncle Donald!”  
“Can I use syrup?”

Donald hesitantly nodded and mentally noted to cut Huey an extra extra small piece of cake later. 

He watched as the boys shoveled the thin flapjacks into their mouths before announcing that he had a bit of a surprise. 

"No way!"  
“More of a surprise than pancakes!”  
“Quackaroni!” 

Donald felt his stomach twist. As much as he couldn’t stand Gladstone, that lucky duck really saved his pinfeathers today. Donald had recently gotten fired from another janitorial job (even though it wasn’t entirely his fault that the whole building flooded), and all he was able to spare from this month’s expenses was the two dollars and thirty eight cents for the baking mix. 

“My -- well, our -- cousin Gladstone is visiting today for your birthday. And he brought you guys a present.” 

“WHERE.” 

“He’s in the kitchen.” 

Donald swore he saw three individual smoke silhouettes stay behind in the booths as the boys zipped by.

The triplets found a strange man dressed in more green than Louie leaning against the counter, wiping his blue beak with a napkin. They all immediately bombarded him, but, unlike Uncle Donald, he was able to stay on his feet. 

“Hey, Gladdy! Whadja bring us?” 

Gladstone gave a strong chuckle. “Gladdy! Haven’t been called that in years.” He rubbed the cap on Little Fethry’s head as he reached into his coat and pulled out a small box. 

“Woah! What is that!” 

“Point me to your TV and I’ll fire it up and show you.” 

Dewey and Louie snatched each of their new uncle’s hands and dragged him into the living room (while yanking up Donald on the way, of course). The five of them squatted in front of the small box television while Gladstone started opening up the package. “Okay, so this is an N64. A great beginning to an amazing era.” He continued pulling out accessories. “Ah, three controllers. Perfect. And what else do we have in here?” 

Gladstone held the box over Donald’s open palms and shook out a copy of _Donkey Kong 64._

Donald didn’t believe he would ever understand his cousin’s luck. 

Before he got too caught up in the past, Donald set up the game. 

“So can we play it?”  
“Pleeease?”  
"Pretty pleeease?" 

“I don’t know, Don,” Gladstone said in a sing-song tone. “Do the kids know their letters?” 

Louie scoffed and pointed at each of the buttons. “Of course we do! That’s A, B, and C.” 

Gladstone looked over at Donald wearily. His cousin nodded in pride. Luckily, he had misread Gladstone’s expression for help for one that was of surprise. 

“Alright, Green Bean! Okay, so we’re all set on those. Now let me show you what each one does…”

The boys didn’t have school tomorrow, so Donald allowed them to play late into the night. 

Or until 9:30. Same difference.


	3. Chapter 3

In sync, Gladstone and Donald pulled up the opposite ends of the blankets over the ducklings’ chins. “Are you going to be here in the morning?” 

Gladstone shook his head apologetically, brushing some of Green Bean’s feathers out of his eyes. “Aw, sorry kids, but I gotta hit the road. It was nice meeting you, though.” 

“When are you coming back, Uncle Gladstone?”

He froze. _Uncle?_ Is that what he said? 

His heart fluttered for a second. 

Was this how Don felt? All the time? 

“I’m not sure. But we will meet again, I promise.” Because Gladstone had wanted it. And his luck allowed him anything he wanted. 

The one with Donald’s looks but Della’s personality piped up. “Will you bring the game back when you do?” 

“Aw, heck, keep the thing. A present from me and your Uncle D.” 

“Really?!”  
“Thanks, Uncle Gladstone!”  
“Thanks, Uncle Donald!” 

Donald folded his hands behind his back, his cheeks reddening. 

“Heh, good night, kids. And happy birthday.” Gladstone left the triplets with his cousin. He supposed they were about to start on some type of nighttime ritual? He did hear music. Ah, well. Gladstone was able to let himself out. 

He snuck into the kitchen for a leftover pancake before heading up the gangplank and back onto the pier. He flinched slightly at the raspy voice in his ear. “You didn’t have to do that, Gladstone.” 

Don had ended up walking him out. Why? He quickly masked his uncertainties. “Sure I did. That’s what family does, right?” 

Before Donald could respond, Gladstone continued off of the docks, starting on his journey back to Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to explore more of Gladstone's character development and his and Donald's relationship later this month and in my series "Who is Donald Duck?" 
> 
> See you for the next prompt!


End file.
